


Soul Eater: Bloodborne

by DysphoricKnight



Category: Soul Eater
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-07 05:10:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DysphoricKnight/pseuds/DysphoricKnight
Summary: [Five years after the events of the anime] When a madness inducing pathogen breaks out at the academy, chaos unfolds, new enemies awaken, and old secrets unravel.





	1. Little Spiders

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is, I'm just kind of bored. Warnings for questionable content in the future...  
> Let me know if you like this, maybe I'll post some more, or completely original stuff.

            “A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound-” Maka Albarn scanned the classroom for an answer. Among the crowd were several hands raised, and she picked one at random; an eager girl with pigtails and two pink bows atop each. The girl almost reminded Maka of herself.

            “A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body!” She announced, beaming with pride. Maka smiled and nodded. She heard Stein shift in his chair behind the desk. She could almost feel the boredom seeping out of him like it was tangible. The two had entirely different teaching methods, but worked well together, which was why Death the Kid had paired them together. 

            “Good.” Maka replied.

            “Well that one was a breeze, can we have an actual hard one?” Another student blurted out. 

            “Sure, but how about you raise your hand next time, Kazuto.” Maka replied, trying to keep her posure. Teaching was quite new to her, and it was sometimes hard to not reveal her annoyance with the students sometimes. She heard Stein snickering behind her as the bell blared through the overhead speakers. “Hey! Stop laughing!” She snapped. It only made him laugh harder.

            “So fun isn’t it?” He said, grinning. She rolled her eyes. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out and dismissed an alarm on the screen. “What’s that for?” Stein asked.

            “It’s a reminder. I have to go talk to my landlord.” Maka sighed.

            “Oh? How’s the new apartment?” 

            “Great, except we’ve somehow already managed to piss our neighbors off.” Maka rubbed her face with her hands in a stressed manner.

            “How exactly did you manage that?” Stein asked, snickering again.

            “Sound complaints from Soul’s piano playing.” 

            “Have you told him it’s a piano, not a drum set?”  Stein replied. Maka laughed a little. She waved her hands up in a quotations gesture.

            “‘I’m just  _ passionate _ .’” She mocked. They both laughed. Maka grabbed her bag and put a few folders inside. “Alright, I gotta run. Better not give her more of a reason to be upset with us.” 

            “Good plan, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Stein said. He retracted his feet from their regular place on the desk and stood, straightening his jacket. Maka rushed out. She thought about how it was to work with Stein. They were opposites in so many ways, but somehow worked more efficiently that way. The more academically focused students liked having a teacher who was uptight and punctual, and the others liked Stein’s spontaneous and laid back personality. Even though they worked well, Maka could tell that it sometimes made Stein a bit antsy splitting the work. He was always a very independent and introverted person. ‘Antsy in a good way’ he would chide, but Maka couldn’t help but worry about it. 

 

* * * * *

 

             Black Star and Tsubaki walked down the streets of the city. Tsubaki thought about how much had changed since the events with Asura. In the destruction that he had left, the city had rebuilt, and even five years later, Tsubaki still found it crazy how much had changed. Where an apartment complex once stood, there was now a corner store. Where a church was, there was now a little clinic. These things a testament to how resilient the academy, let alone the city was. Tsubaki looked at Black Star finally. He was almost the biggest change. Years ago he was short and slim. Now he was almost half a foot taller than Tsubaki, and he’d filled out completely. It was no longer a lie when he’d boast about his size, no matter how conceited it would sound. He was arrogant, but Tsubaki could tell that he wasn’t that way all around. He’d worked hard to get where he was and he showed quite a bit of modesty about it under the surface. She figured he knew that the arrogance was almost comical and played with it to keep people laughing. Now, when no one was watching, he walked with his shoulders slouched and his hands in his pockets. No pride, just a simple, carefree stride. He noticed Tsubaki looking at him and smiled back. 

             “What’s on your mind?” He asked. She took a breath and sighed, calmly.

             “Nothing, really. I was thinking. Valentine’s day is tomorrow. Maybe we could invite Soul and Maka on a double date?” Tsubaki suggested. Black Star hid a blush. He cleared his throat.

             “Well I’d have to get a suit fitted, ‘cause a big guy like me can’t just buy one from any store, y’know?” He said.

             “Okay, Black Star. You do that.” Tsubaki laughed. They stopped in front of their complex. “Go get your suit. I’ll call Maka to go dress shopping with me.”

             “You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?” Black Star jabbed.

             “Valentine’s Day is only one day out of the year, and don’t you want to show off how big your arms will look in a nice tux?” Tsubaki joked.

             “Ohh, yeah. You’re right. I’ll rush to get myself tailored immediately.” Black Star kidded back. He kept walking down the street as Tsubaki went inside. He wasn’t a big fan of going out, but a part of him was excited to see Tsubaki all dressed up. Suddenly as Black Star turned the corner he ran into a girl. She dropped the books she was carrying in the street. “Shit-I’m sorry.” Black Star exclaimed. He bent down to help her pick up her stuff. He grabbed a few of her books and looked up, handing them to her. Just then he noticed her eyes. They were piercing. She was younger than him, probably in her final year of school. Her eyes were deep purple, and she had long, wavy black hair, which was partially pulled up into a high, short ponytail. She wore thick, black eyeliner and black lipstick. Black Star felt almost hypnotized by her, but something deep within him felt threatened. 

            “Thank you!” She said, reaching for the books. Black Star was so entranced by the girl, that he failed to notice a small black spider run up his arm. The two stood and maintained eye contact. There was an awkward pause, but the girl broke it. “I’m Izumi.” She extended one of her hands, balancing the books on her other forearm. Black Star broke the eye contact, quickly shaking his head and blinking his eyes a few times. He almost struggled to speak.

            “B-Black Star.” He swallowed. 

            “Nice to meet you, Black Star.” His name in her voice sent shivers down his spine.  “You too.” He said.

            “Hey-Uh-I’m quite new, can you show me to the academy?” She asked. Something deep in Black Star told him it was a bad idea but something felt so magnetic about the girl.

            “Uh-yeah, of course.” He agreed. He stumbled around her. “T-this way.” 

 

* * * * *

 

            Kid, Soul, Liz, and Patty stood staring over a large field.

            “Whatever did this had to be big.” Soul remarked. Kid tried to contain the stress within him as he stood before a field of hundreds of human souls.

 

* * * * *

 

            “Spirit…?”

            “Yes?”

            “Why are we having lunch at a male  _ strip club _ ?”  Stein tried to force himself to stare at his gin and tonic instead of the men on the stage. Had he been aware of where Spirit wanted to go, he would have declined the offer. He looked up to see Spirit intently staring at the men.

            “Well you see, maybe if I convert myself to liking men, I will feel less inclined to whore around with women.”

            “If that works, which it probably won’t, wouldn’t you just be ‘whoring’ around with men then? What would that accomplish?” Stein inquired. Spirit slammed his head down on the table and sighed heavily.

            “I’m never gonna be the man Maka wants me to be…” Spirit muttered into his crossed arms. A waiter came around, holding a tray.

            “Another Gin and Tonic, sir?” He asked, looking at Stein.

            “Ooh, yes, please.” Stein smiled, spinning the screw on his head.

 

* * * * *

  
  


            Maka walked through her door, and sighed, placing her keys on the table near the door. She looked over at the grand piano sitting in the light of the window. She loved to hear Soul play, but she could agree that he slammed the keys a bit too much sometimes. She looked over in the opposite corner where a pile of boxes stood. She sighed again and strolled over to the boxes. 

            “Might as well.” She muttered to herself, as she ripped the duct tape off the top box. Right on top was a framed photograph of her and Crona. She stared at it for a long moment. She wondered what had become of Crona since the last time she saw him, five years before.

 

_             Maka stood looking over several ruined buildings. She couldn’t help but feel like a lot of it was due to her big fight with Asura. She wasn’t responsible for cleaning up, but she felt like she should have been.  _

_            “Oh hi Maka.” She heard a familiar voice and turned around to see Crona. She smiled, before looking over him and seeing the backpack slung over his shoulders. Behind him was Stein and Marie. Maka furrowed her brow. _

_            “Where are you going?” She asked. _

_            “I’ll be taking him back with me.” Marie chimed in. _

_            “Why?” Maka asked. _

_            “To train. I think we could really work with the unique abilities he has.” She replied, putting a comforting hand on Crona’s shoulder. It jolted him at first, but he smiled back at her. _

_            “Oh. Well, you’ll come back and see us, won’t you?” Maka extended her hand. Crona hesitantly shook it. _

_            “Definitely.” Stein butted in. “It’s only temporary. There is still too much madness lingering around, and it would benefit him to be away from it all.” He explained. Him and Marie shared an awkward glance at each other. Maka could tell that they had feelings for each other, but were too timid to act on them.  _

_            Maka pulled Crona in and hugged him. “I’ll see you when you get back then, okay?” She said. She felt him nod. He hugged her back. There was no comment from Ragnarok, but she could feel his beady eyes watching. _

 

* * * * *

 

            It was dark by the time Black Star was done showing Izumi around. He had completely forgotten about the suit, and the plans he had for the next day. All he could think about was the raging headache he had. It was rare he got them, which was off putting in a way. Despite his growing sense of unease, he shrugged it off and walked home, more than ready to lay down and go to bed.

 

* * * * *

 

            It was late, but Kid kept himself up thinking about the souls. He wished he could talk to his father about it. He hadn’t felt this uneasy since Asura’s awakening.


	2. Seeing Shadows

_She felt weightless as she watched her being disintegrate. Fear swallowed her. She promised it wouldn’t be the end, but it felt like it. Things were going dark. Panic swelled inside her despite her being calm on the surface. She watched Marie, Maka, and finally Stein disappear as her world went back. The fear was great, but the end was greater._

 

Medusa jolted awake. She hyperventilated, panicking, remembering the last time she was conscious, however she was in a completely different place now. After a few moments of unfiltered panic, she calmed down and looked around. Around her were four walls that were black, but somehow still gave off a sort of glowing light. After a second, she noticed they were covered in blood; black blood. The blood dripped from the ceilings and somehow came up from the ground as well, as if it had no gravitational properties. The ground underneath her was dry, and was a dark gray concrete. She sat up against the wall behind her and looked straight out into the abyss of black blood, where she noticed a person. She could only see his head poking out from the blood, as if he were swimming in the floor. He looked young, like he was only still a child.

“Hi witch.” The boy said. His voice was the voice of a child’s as well. Medusa couldn’t tell if it was a vessel or the person in front of her was really just a kid. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and tried to speak.

“W-Who are you?” She internally cursed herself for sounding so shaky. She wanted to seem composed, and fearless, but this was by war the strangest situation she had ever gotten herself into. She studied the boy. He had blonde hair, and large hazel eyes. It was a weird sentiment, but he reminded her of Maka Albarn in a way. Suddenly, he began to rise out of the blood, and it dripped off him, as if it were nothing more than sand and left him completely dry, and clean of substance. He seemed to float with nothing holding him up.

“I am the kishin Xander.” He said. Medusa couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“You’re a kishin? But you’re just a child.” She scoffed. There was a silence from the kid, as he just stared at her for a moment.

“Huh.” He exclaimed after a long pause. Medusa opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly she felt the floor beneath her disappear and she began to fall down a long tunnel. A thousand eyes stared at her as she fell. She screamed and what sounded like a thousand voices screamed back at her until the world stopped spinning as sudden as it started and she was presented yet again before Xander. He was standing now, on the edge of the large pool of blood. In full view he wore a yellow and black ringneck t-shirt and a pair of cargo khaki shorts with black converse and white socks that nearly hiked up past his knees.

“Do you still underestimate me?” He asked. Medusa drew in a sharp breath. She looked around, but realized that the kid was the only one who could have created that horrific illusion that she had just went through.

“What do you want from me?” She finally asked. The boy smiled and let his guard down.

“That’s better.” He praised. “I’ve heard about you, Medusa. And I am more than intrigued by your abilities. And your son’s-or daughter’s? I’m not sure what the child is.”

“He prefers to be referred to as a _male_ , though you won’t have luck with him, as the DWMA has taken him under their wing.” She explained. She tried to hide her disdain towards Crona.

“Ah. I see. What a disappointment. But we’ll prevail.” Medusa was impressed by the kid’s vocabulary. She wondered where his parents were, if he had them.

“So the snake has finally joined the party.” Medusa heard another voice. She looked to see a girl in what appeared to be a newly emerged doorway. The girl was young as well. “I’ve always liked snakes, but I like spiders better.” She said to herself. Medusa could already see a competitive nature in her. She didn’t like it.

“Izumi, have you done what I’ve asked?” Xander spoke up. The girl, presumably Izumi, grinned.

“The Star Clan boy will be under my thumb in no time. He’s quite gullible.” Medusa didn’t think of Black Star being worthy of any attention, after all he was merely an arrogant fool in her eyes, but she had come to realize that she wasn’t aware of how much time had passed.

“How long have I been…” She started.

“Five years, approximately.” Xander replied.

“I see. So what is your goal then?”

“To revive the kishin Asura, of course.” Medusa bit her lip. She couldn’t read this kid. He both intimidated and intrigued her.

“And what do you believe you’ll accomplish with that?” She inquired.

“I want BREW. And I want the DWMA taken down.” Xander was quick to reply. And Medusa could notice an untapped hostility in his tone. He had personal reasons for wanting the DWMA gone, but she knew he wouldn’t reveal what those were.

“How will you revive Asura? Maka Albarn from the academy killed him and took his soul several years ago.” She tested.

“How do you think I revived you? I have my methods, witch. Don’t doubt me.” Xander became serious, and Medusa tried to hide the fear that he would throw her into another terror spin. “Keeter, you should really introduce yourself.” Xander said after a moment of silence. Medusa watched as something formed out of the blood in the center of the room. Blood turned into skin and bone, and she watched as a wrinkled form cracked and popped into place. The sounds were sickening, but finally after a few minutes there was a man before her, Xander, and Izumi. He was lanky and pale and had no hair on any part of his body. Over his face was a mask that looked like it was carved from bone. Medusa looked over at Xander, who looked proud, as if he was the creator of this new arrival. “This is Keeter. He is the one responsible for giving you a vessel and calling back your soul to bind with it.”

Medusa did not reply. She was terrifically frightened, but infatuated with the entirety of the situation she was in. As she pondered it all more, the fear started to seep away and she grinned widely, clearing her throat.

“What do you need from me?”

 

* * * * 

 

“Why am I not surprised that Black Star is late?” Maka joked.

“Maybe he had trouble with his tux?” Tsubaki tried to make up excuses.

“You guys didn’t have to dress up too much, we’re just getting breakfast.” Maka replied. Her and Tsubaki looked at Soul. “I mean, he’s just wearing a tie and jeans.” Maka stated, rolling her eyes.

“What? I didn’t know we had to be so formal.” Soul snapped, defensively. He picked something out of his tooth with his nail.

“Classy, Soul.” Maka jabbed.

“You know it.” Soul grinned widely.

Tsubaki was accustomed to Black Star’s horrible punctuality, but she couldn’t help but worry given that he had been acting weird the night before.

 

* * * * *  


_Black Star felt warm. Warm and relaxed. He knew he should open his eyes, but it felt like he could sink into the pool he was floating in and fade away forever. For some reason that felt so right. Suddenly he came to the realization that it wasn’t though, and opened his eyes, noticing that he was drifting in a thick, dark, sea. He kicked his legs farther down, and propelled himself right-side-up, bracing the horizon in front of him. He noticed that there was none, just then. The dark sea continued endlessly in every direction. The sky above him was grim, and red. A terrible loneliness overcame him, and he called out for anyone to answer._

_“Hello?” He shouted, but there was nothing, not even an echo. He felt his arms tiring out, and it felt like the sea began to thicken. He noticed that he wasn’t floating in water, but blood. Out of nowhere, Black Star felt something tug at one of his feet and attempt to pull him down under the surface. He screamed, and kicked, trying to fight off the unseen force. It was stronger than him though, and before he knew it, his entire body was under the surface, save for his arms which made desperate attempts at anything above to help him gain leverage. Suddenly he felt someone's hand grab his. They pulled at him and he gripped onto them tightly letting them pull him back up above the surface. He felt the force lose its grip on him and he bounced up above the blood and towards the unknown helper._

_“Thank you-” Black Star began before making eye contact with his savior. It was Masumune; Tsubaki’s brother. Surprised, Black Star couldn’t speak for a moment. Before he could say anything, he felt a sharp pain through his chest and looked down to see the enchanted sword plunged straight through him. He looked back up to the man who stabbed him, but it was no longer Masumune. Black Star stared into the soulless mask of Lord Death himself._

_“The Star Clan will be eliminated.”_

 

Black Star awoke, his entire body dripping in sweat. He looked around, panicked, gripping his sheets. After a few seconds, he sighed, and let his guard down recognizing the familiar surroundings of his room. _Just a dream,_ he thought. He looked at the clock just then and read the time.

“Shit!” He was late for the double date. He sprung out of bed and threw on the nicest shirt he had, remembering that he had forgotten to stop by and get a suit the night before.

Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki were standing outside the Cafe when he got there. He ran up and apologized.

“What were you doing, jacking off?” Soul teased. Maka slugged him hard on the shoulder and shot him a scolding glare.

“Had to show some jackasses harassing a girl who they were about to get beaten up by if they didn’t fuck off.” Black Star threw out a random excuse. Tsubaki sighed. Black Star couldn’t tell if it was relief or frustration.

“Let’s go, we were supposed to arrive for the reservation thirty minutes ago.” She said. She turned and opened the door. Black Star let the others go ahead of him and looked around. The nightmare had really put him on edge, and he couldn’t help but feel as if something bad was going to happen.

 

* * * * *

 

Stein was spinning circles in his chair when Maka got to class. “Having fun?” She asked, laughing lightly.

“Much more fun than I would be grading.”

“Which is why you’re gonna make me do it.” Stein spun around and pointed at Maka.

“Ding Ding Ding, we got a winner!” He announced, giving a cheeky grin. Maka sighed, and rolled her eyes. She sat down in a chair opposite of Stein at the desk. He pulled himself closer to the desk. “Anyway, how was your Valentine’s breakfast?” He asked, looking at a laptop sitting in front of him.

“Soul didn’t know he was supposed to actually care about his appearance, Black Star showed up thirty minutes late, and why am I even telling you this, none of it is surprising.” Maka explained in a comical tone.

“Black Star is on Black Star time.” Stein replied. He fidgeted with his screw and bit his lip as he stared at the computer.

“Hey, it’s a perfect day to call Marie?” Maka suggested. She knew Stein loved Marie, but she also knew how passive he was. Marie was scared of freaking him out and Stein was oblivious and introverted.

“Can’t,” He looked up at her, not even trying to hide the fact that he was lying. “my phone is broken.” He stated. Maka rolled her eyes at him. “I know, it’s tragic.” He laughed. Maka laughed too, but she wished she could say something that would convince him to get over himself and actually reach out to Marie.

Stein pondered the idea of giving Marie a call, but there was so much pressure inside what to others seemed simple. Would she answer? Would she think he was being weird by reaching out? What if she had found a new guy? And wouldn’t it be weird to call her on Valentine’s Day if she had a boyfriend? He knew all of these were irrational excuses not to take the leap, but truthfully he hadn’t been in a relationship in years, and wasn’t sure how to anymore. He thought about the last time he saw Marie.

 

_“I think you should teach Crona. You’d be good at that.” Marie suggested. She picked up a large piece of concrete debris and lugged it over to the pile that everyone was making._

_“I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to be around me, given his black blood, and my susceptibility to madness.” Stein replied._

_“Well then I might as well take him back with me.” Marie muttered to herself, a little annoyed that Stein had so easily shut her down._

_“That might be good.” Stein replied. Marie couldn’t believe how oblivious he was._

_“Well,_ if _I go back…” She said. She wanted him more than anything to persuade her to stay, to make a move._

_“You’re not going back?” He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She stared back at him for a second, silent._

_“I mean…I am I just-”_ _  
_ _“It could be good for him to be away from the DWMA for a while. Might give him a bit more confidence too.” Marie wanted to blurt out the obvious, tell him he was an idiot and that she wanted to stay and she wanted him to want her to stay. But he never thought about stuff like that. He was too logical minded, and thought more about facts than feelings._

_“Yeah...yeah.” She sighed. She stood up straight and watched him sift through debris. She thought about when she had hugged him, when she had saved him from the madness. He was warm. She wanted that, but didn’t want to come across as clingy. She wanted to play it cool, but she hated that Stein couldn’t take her hints.”I’m gonna go, uh, take a shower and pack my things.”_

_“Great. I’ll talk to Crona.” Stein said. Marie stared at him for another moment and walked away._

 

* * * * *

Black Star and Tsubaki walked down the hallway of the DWMA. Tsubaki wondered why Kid had called them there. He seemed stressed over the phone and she could sense that something was very wrong. Black Star seemed unphased and in his own world. Tsubaki couldn’t help but feel worried about him. He had been acting very weird the past two days and she could see the dark circles around his eyes from lack of sleep.

“You okay?” Tsubaki asked.

“Yeah, why?” Black Star replied almost instantly. Tsubaki could tell he was hiding something, but didn’t want to pry.

“You just seem out of it today.” She said. He looked around, avoiding eye contact.

“Do you hear that?” He said. Tsubaki hadn’t noticed, but there was a quiet sobbing somewhere nearby. The two of them searched for the source. Ahead and around the corner they found a girl sitting on the floor with her hands cupped over her face. Black Star approached her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey...are you okay-” Before he could finish his sentence one of her arms turned into a scythe and she extended it, slashing at Black Star. He tried to escape in time, but his cheek was cut. He fell to the ground and she stumbled after him, violently waving her arms around in desperate attempt to hit him again.Tsubaki ran after her and tried to pull her away, almost getting slashed as well, but before the girl was able to make a mark on Tsubaki, she was knocked out. Stein stood there, his hand raised above the girl’s head. She fell back, and he caught her. Maka stood behind him.

“What the hell was that?” Black Star got up on his feet and looked down at the girl. She was knocked out cold and her nose was dripping a black liquid.

“Is that…” Maka began.

“Black blood.” Stein finished. He cradled the girl in his arms, and stood. “I’m taking her to the infirmary. Please finish class for me.” He said to Maka, without looking at her.

“Yeah, of course.” She said. She turned and noticed a crowd of students peeking through the window on the door. She shot them a disapproving glare and they disbanded. Tsubaki looked over at Black Star who was staring down the hallway.

He felt light-headed and dizzy. Blood ran down his cheek from the cut. In a daze he stood, staring down the hallway. Out of nowhere, a figure materialized. A man with white hair and white cloths covering his mouth and the rest of his body.

“Dad?” Black Star murmured. He took a few steps forward, reaching out for the deluded image of his father, but dark tunnels swallowed the sides of his vision, and he took a sharp breath before the rest of his vision was swallowed and he fell to the ground.

 

* * * * *

 

Kid stood in the large, now empty space that once bound Asura. He studied the pillars that had the markings of a madman painted on them. He remembered when even being in the room would drive anyone mad. Now it was merely an enormous, abandoned space underneath the academy. Still, it felt heavy.

“Dad,” Kid spoke to the empty walls. “What if Asura is not completely gone?”

There should have been no response, save for an echo, but in that moment Kid could have sworn he heard a small, almost inaudible voice respond.

“He isn’t.”

 

* * * * *

 

Black Star woke up in the infirmary. Tsubaki was holding his hand, and Stein was across the room writing something.

“You’re awake! Thank God.” Tsubaki sighed with relief.

“What happened?” Black Star asked. Stein stopped writing and stood, walking over. He sat in a chair next to Black Star’s bed on the opposite side of Tsubaki.

“I’m not sure, but I have a theory that it has something to do with the girl slashing you with her scythe.” Stein said. He gestured to the girl behind him in the bed next to Black Star’s. She was sound asleep, but she looked dead in a way. Black Star put a hand to his cheek where a bandage covered the cut that she had given him.

“Will he be okay?” Tsubaki asked.

“I think so. He’s awake. That’s more than I can vouch for her.” Stein looked back at the girl. Black Star looked at Tsubaki. She looked like she was going to cry. He squeezed her hand.

“Hey, a big guy like me can’t be beat by a single scratch.” He smiled widely. Tsubaki attempted to smile back.

“If he faints again, tell me.” Stein said. He stood and walked back over to where he was writing. He sighed. “But you should be okay if you’re feeling okay, Black Star.”  
“I feel like a million bucks.” Black Star lied as he side glanced the man standing in the doorway; White Star.

 

_Before_

 

_Andrea Albarn stood leaning up against her kitchen fridge and staring at her husband try to flip a pancake to show off for their eight year old daughter. Unfortunately, he failed and the half cooked pancake hit the floor._

_“Dad! You messed it up!” Maka Albarn cried. Andy laughed._

_“I’ll get it next time.” Spirit said, putting the pan down and cleaning up his mess on the floor. He looked up at his wife and smiled. Something in him still couldn’t believe the perfection he had in his life. The most beautiful wife and the cutest daughter. Surely it couldn’t be possible, but here it was defying his beliefs._

_“Alright, that’s enough of watching you overestimate yourself, I’ve gotta go.” Andy announced. Spirit laughed and approached her. He brushed her blonde hair to the side and kissed her on the forehead._

_“What’s going on today?” He asked._

_“Someone obsessed with you-know-who.” She rolled her eyes as she said it. She knew it would be a breeze of a mission. Something she didn’t even have to take a weapon with her for._

_“I didn’t know there was such a cult following for a_ kishin _.” He remarked._

_“You’d think.” Andy agreed. She walked over to her daughter. “Can Mommy have a big hug?”_

_“When will you be back?” Maka asked._

_“Before you can blink three times.” The little girl blinked just as her mom had said. Andy laughed. “Okay, you got me. But I’ll be home for dinner, I pinky promise.” She said. She extended her pinky, and the girl took it. She pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the head. “Keep this guy in line for me, okay?” She whispered. Maka giggled and nodded. “I love you.” She said, looking at both of them. Spirit made a heart with his hands. Andy rolled her eyes jokingly and left._

_It was almost midnight when she returned home. The house was dark. Andy shut the door and leaned back against it closing her eyes for a moment. She swallowed, sighed, and opened her eyes again. She locked the door and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the light and looked into the mirror. Before her, a woman she barely recognized. Disheveled, knotted hair, red, tired eyes, and ripped clothes. She had a raging headache, and bruises all over her body. A million still images rattled her head at once and she began to cry again._


End file.
